A familiar mantra of the NRA maintains people are the problem when it comes to guns, not the guns themselves. There is some truth to that. But when they say it, they mean to say that no one has a right to disarm us, no matter what.

I am reminded of what Oliver Wendell Holmes said about yelling “fire” in a crowded theater when there is no fire. The one who does so, in order to create havoc and mayhem, has forfeited their right to free speech. The right to free speech is forfeited when the common good is imperiled by recklessness.

Similarly, when a person broadcasts to the world, either by direct verbal threat, or by way of social media formats, that they intend to do people harm (even if they are joking), especially with guns, they should be subject to warranted searches for any guns they might possess; and those guns should be confiscated until a thorough investigation is commenced and concluded.

Why this approach? Because people are the problem; and people who mean business ought not to be tooled for destruction.

— Robert Mikkelson, Fontana

Gun control saves lives

I believe it is essential to look at gun control as the solution. Though some may say that it is important to have a weapon in order to protect themselves or their families, compared to the UK, which has banned handguns, the U.S. was nearly 30 times that of the UK in 2012, according to BBC News.

Strict gun regulations need to be put in place and certain firearms need to be banned such as the AR-15 rifle. If this gun wasn’t accessible, some deaths could have been prevented.

— Vivianna De La Torre, Pomona

Gun control won’t work

I feel stricter regulation makes it harder for law-abiding citizens who want to protect themselves to acquire a firearm.

The Florida shooter was able to legally acquire guns, however, even if he was denied, he could still get guns illegally and this tragedy still would have happened.

I understand why people want stricter gun regulations, but it just won’t work. Cities like Chicago have some of the strictest gun regulations in America, yet, thousands of people die every year to guns there. The era of Prohibition banned alcohol, but people still had it. Wouldn’t they do the same with guns decades later?